BOUNTIFUL — Believe it or not, the men and women in charge of making the Bountiful Handcart Days events happen in July are already meeting.

“This year is going to be something spectacular,” said Steve Facer, who with his wife, Julie, are this year’s Bountiful Handcart Days directors. “We have something happening that has never happened before, and will probably never happen again.”

“The most difficult thing that I have done so far,” Steve Facer said, “has been to try to get my mind around the magnitude of what is needed to be done and how many people are involved to manage what is necessary to make this successful.”

The theme for Bountiful Handcart Days this year is, “They Did Not Doubt” As part of the theme, this year’s plans include a parade entry of approximately 2000 young men marching abreast and dressed as “stripling warriors”. The group is inspired by the story found in the Book of Mormon.

“Having that kind of faith and that kind of courage is the embodiment of the pioneer spirit,” Facer insists, “whether it be the faithful handcart pioneers of old, or the pioneers of our day. It is the confidence born of faith and courage. They Did Not Doubt is a worthy theme for Bountiful Handcart Days.”

The idea for the theme and the plan for 2000 young men come from President Cory Hanks, president of the LDS Bountiful South Stake. He and another volunteer, Danny Brock, are handling all of the complicated staging of the young men involved as warriors.